Dassault and the UAE government held a ceremony to unveil the Middle Eastern country’s first Rafale fighter jet on Wednesday.
The UAE Armed Forces signed an order for 80 Rafale fighter jets in December 2021, the largest external contract ever signed by the French military industry, worth a total of €16.6 billion.
The Rafales are the F4 variant, which feature more advanced avionics and weapons systems.
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The jets were handed over during an official ceremony in Paris, in the presence of Mohamed bin Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, and Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier.
The United Arab Emirates already operates French Mirage 2000 fighters, of which it has 44 active aircraft, in addition to 76 F-16 jets.
Lockheed Martin will also reinforce the fighter fleet with 50 5th generation F-35As.
Despite the symbolic delivery, the first Rafales are only expected to be sent to the country in 2027. Until then, they will be used for training pilots and ground crew.
